PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Admission Requirements

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The normal requirements for admission to the graduate program in pharmaceutical sciences include a bachelor of arts or science degree from an accredited institution, an academic record which satisfies the minimum admission requirements established by the CU Graduate School and results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Admissions are for fall semester only.

An undergraduate degree in pharmacy, chemistry, biology, or chemical engineering is excellent preparation for graduate training in pharmaceutical sciences; however, no specific undergraduate major is required. All applicants for the program should have completed a year of study in the following subjects: general chemistry, organic chemistry, calculus, biology, and physics. In addition, courses in the following subjects will be highly recommended to supplement the student’s background: biochemistry, statistics, cell biology, physical chemistry, computer science, and immunology. Under special circumstances, deficiencies in important areas may be made up within the first year after entrance into the program.

Normally, admission to the program will be dependent upon an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better. Students applying with a GPA less than 3.0 may be considered individually on a provisional basis. If you do not have a degree from a U.S. or Canadian institution, it is required that an outside professional evaluation of your higher education credentials be conducted. This evaluation mustinclude an analysis of courses, grades and grade point average, and U.S. degree equivalency. Evaluations will be accepted from any reputable professional company. Three recommended credential evaluation companies are:

The admission deadline for completed applications to be received at the School of Pharmacy is December 1. Given that admission to the program is a very competitive, it is impossible to evaluate your qualifications for admission (test scores, grades) until the selection committee assesses the entire applicant pool.

However, average GRE scores of the students who are admitted to our program are approximately 500 (verbal), 700 (quantitative), and 4.5 (analytical writing). If you are selected for an interview, we will pay your travel expenses to and from campus. Admission to the program includes financial support via a monthly stipend. The initial process involves submitting an online application to the graduate school and can be initiated by following the link below:

As part of your application, please note whether you are interested in the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biotechnology track, the Clinical/Translational track, or the Program in Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research track.

If you are living outside of North America (regardless of your nationality), you are at a disadvantage because we do not have enough resources to cover travel expenses from across the ocean, and therefore it is unlikely that you would be invited for an interview. Since we rarely admit students without a face-to-face interview, it is unlikely that you would be admitted to our program. While many of our graduate students are from outside the United States, they typically live within the United States at the time of application, and therefore are able to attend an interview on campus.